Fruit cutting and pitting machine.



l A. L. MORTGN. FRUIT CUTTING AND FITTING MACHINE. nrmouron FILED sur.1o, 1912.

2 Bnnmswaim'r 1.

WITNESSES: 1N VENTOR A. L., MORTON. FRUIT CUTTING AND FITTING MACHINE. l`AMLIGATIQIT PILE'D SEPT. 19, 1912. 1,079,573 K Patented Nov; 25, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESS ES INVEN TOR ARTHUR L. MORTON, F MOUNTLIIN VIEW, CAIJIOBNIA.

'y FRUIT CUTTING AND FITTING MACHINE.

Specification of lettcrs Patent.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

Application lled September 19, 1912. Serial No. 721,196.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, ARTHUR L. MoRToN,

n a citizen of the United States, residing at Mountain View, in thecounty of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented new anduseful Improvements in FruitCut-I ting and Fitting Machines, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to fruit cutting and pitting machines.

The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus in whichfruit may be severed and pitted; and particularly to provide in fruitcutting apparatus means for so positioning the fruit to be cut that itscircumferential crease will assume a plane in common with the plane ofcutters; and to cutters. The apparatus also includes means forseparating the pits or stones and the meat of the fruit, withautomatically oper-v ating iingers for dislodging any sections of- 1 5 3is preferably formed of comparatively thin material, as a casting orstamped piece, openings or serrations 9 extending some- 2 what along thebottom of the convolutions 7 of the plate, and through" which openingsproject feeding teeth 10 on a Hexihle con- 1veyer or belt l1, of whichthere is one for each of the openings 9; the conveyer chains fruit whichmay possibly become clogged during the operation.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combinationof parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, havingreference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a central,vert-ical, longitudinal section stationary guides. Fig. 2 is aperspective View of a fragment of the positioning device. Fig. 3 is aplan View of the apparatus. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a portion ofthe cutting and separating structure. Fig. 5 is a perspective View ofone of the diverting plates. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a yieldablethroat plate.

In its illustrated embodiment or form, my invention comprises a suitableframe 2, hav ing at one end an inclined reciprocating feeder 3 which maybe supported by suitable Jammed or springs or other equivalent devices4:; the

feeder being connected by one or more cc-nnecting-rods 5 toa crank orother shaft 6 mounted 'in appropriate bearings in the frame 2.

The feeding hopper or tray 3 is of peculiar formation and design, havingfor its function the rapid arrangement or 4positioning of fruit, such asapricots, peaches, plums, pears, or other fruit, so that in certaininstances, as when treating apricots, the crease of the fruit will bearranged in the plane, substantially, of subsequent cutting devices tobe hereinafter described. This rapid accomplishment of the positioningor arrangei ment of the fruit is produced by forming in y the feedingAdevice 3 a plurality of sudlstanv n tially parallel convolutions 7; thefruit entering ends of which being provided with zigzag, curved portions8, which I have.

found in actual experience serve to rapidly bring the fruit to thedesired position so that a comparative-ly short feed table or hop- -per3 may be employed, thus saving oor' provide means for feeding thefruitto theA in the reduction incost of the apparatus by reducing its generaloverall proportions and g the lengths of the parts involved.

space occupied by the machine and further The lower end of the feedhopper or plate belts being driven by appropriate sprocket Wheels 12,mounted on shafts 13-14 extendingA across the frame 2 of the machine..One or the other of the shafts llid-14: may be driven by appropriateconnections, so that the conveyor chains 11 will operate to carrysuccessively, the proyect ing spurs or points 1() upwardly through j thes'erratic-ns 9 of the feed plate, and thus in proper order feed fruit,singly, from each channel betweenstationary guide devices 15 jwhich aresuitably spaced from each other and adjustably mounted, with relation tothe conveyors 11` by means of a transverse bar 16, connected by alocking device 17 to bearings 18.

Projecting sufficiently upwardly between Vthe' stationary guide bars orrails 15, which are substantially parallel, is a series of ctrl;-

ters 20, arranged in parallelism at suitable distances along a. shaft21, mounted transversely in the frame 2. Mounted in close parallelposition to the cutters 2O are similar cutters 22, mounted on a shaft 23journaled transversely in the frame 2. The shafts 21-23 rotate towardeach other and carry the cutters around, so that when a fruit isdeposited upon the upper edges, which are spiral, of the cutters, thesewill gradually roll or biteinto the imposed fruit. The

continued rotation of the cutters severs the fruit until iinally radialshoulders 24 of cordinate pairs of cutters register in overlappingposition and substantially encompass the fruit stone or pit and carrythe latter downwardly, independently'of the severed fruit. A v

For the purpose of yieldably receiving and temporarily supporting fruitfed by the conveyers'11 to the'spaces between the fixed guides 15, Iprovide flexible jaw devices, as

\ 25, illustrated in perspective in' Fig. 6,

- cutters revolve and bite into the fruit, the

fruit being drawn downwardly by the cutters will expand the jaws of theyoke 25, and when the fruit is finally severed the jaws willautomatically return' into normal receiving position. v

Power may be applied to operate the shafts 21 andv 23, which carry thecutters,

by any appropriate means, and I have shown the shaft 23 as provided witha crank wheel 29,' which in this instance drives a sprocket chain 30running over to transverse shaft 6 which carries one or more cranks 32.To the cranks 32 are connected the pitman rods or devices 5 whereby,upon the rotation of the crank-shaft 6, the feeding hopper 3`will bereciprocated to eject the fruit as it is charged to the plate 3 and thefruit is subsequently positioned for proper presentment to the cutters.The shafts 21 and 23 are operated in unison of speed by means of gearsor equivalent means 33, and power may be transmitted from the drivenshaft 21 to the conveyer shaft 14 by means of suitable gearing orsprocket chain connection 34, all shown in Fig. 3'.

From the foregoing it will be seen that,

. by turning the crank-wheel 29, motionis imparted to the cutter shafts21 and 23 to carry the cutters in coperative relation to sever thefruit, and so that the substantially radial shoulders 24- of the cutterswill register in proper time to override the pit of the fruit beingsevered; power being transmitted also from the driving-shaft 23 to thecrank-shaft 6. Power to drive the conveyer shafts 13-14 is derived fromthe shaft 21 through means of the transmission device 34.

The meat of the fruit severed and the pits thereof are diverted intoseparate channels while being severed by means of inclined divergedwalls orguides 35, Fig. 5, which are removably attached to a transversehanger or bar 36 of the frame 2 by means of screws 37. The bar 36 hasupwardly projecting lugs or bearings 38, the side edges of which areinclined at such an angle that the upper broader edges of the seyeralguide plates 35 rest against the sides of the adjacent portions of thecutters 20-22; that is, the upper ends of the guides 35 assume aposition approximately on a plane between the centers of the cuttershafts 21 and 23. As a fruit is being cut, the partly severed sectionsapproach and straddle the convergent portions of adjacent sets of theguide plates 35, the upper portions of which bear upon the oppositesides of a cordinate set of cutters.

The guide plates 35 are shown as each with a suitable aperture propening 39 in the upper portion; the purpose of this being to provide athroat formed by two adjacent plates 35, throughwhich the stone of thefruit will be precipitated by the cutters when the fruit is finallysevered. The severed sections straddle the coperative pairs of plates35, as clearly shown in Fig. 4; the sections of the fruit sliding downthe convergent sides of opposite plates onto a suitable discharge boardor chute 40. Mean-v while, the stones of the fruit dropping through thethroat formed by the openings 39 of the plates 35 fall to an oppositelydisposed discharge board 41 by which they may be precipitated into aremovable col- I lecting device 42.

For the purpose of preventing a clogging ofjsections of fruit for anycause in` or on the throat plates 35, I introduce yieldable lingers orejectors 43 which are adapted to engage the undersides of adjacentthroat plates 35; the fingers 43 being connected to a saddle or carrier44 which is adapted to rock upon a suitable support or shaft 45 mountedtransversely the frame 2, and which may be oscillated through a suitabledriving connection, as a link or links- 46, connected to crank oreccentric portions 47 of one or the other of the conveyershafts, as 13.During .the oscillations of the lingers or ejectors, these will wipe theunder surfaces of the throat plates 35, passing sufficiently' Vhighacross the throat apertures 39 to lift therefrom may become I as anyparticles or sections of fruit which embedded or lodged thereon. As soonas they are dislodged they will gravitate down the throat plates 35 ontothe chute 40.

thus described my invention, what l claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is` l. ln a huit handling machine, a device for fruit ina given position, said devieecomprising an inclined member hava plurali'of substantially parallel estimations, portions of which aretransversely zigzag vfor the purpose of rapidly a quantity of fruit inthe desired position, and stationary Y guides forming channeis inalinement with the channels 0f the corrugations. l c

Q. ln a fruit handling machine, a device for arranging huit in a givenposition, said device comprising an inclined member having a pluralityof substantially parallel corrugatiens'portions of which aretransverselya zigzag for' the purpose of rapidly arranging the fruit inthe desired position,

supporting springs for giving the device an upward throw, and means forreciprocating said member on the springs.

ln :a fruit handling machine, a device for arranging fruit in a givenposition, said device comprising a member having a plurality ofsubstantially parallel corrugations, portions lof which aretransverselyr zigzag for the purpose' of rapidly arranging the fruit inthe desired position, said member being provided with serrations atthebottom portions of the corrugations adjacent to one end, stationarychannel forming guides, and a huit conveyer running through theser-rations in said'member and to said guides. j I

a. n a fluit handling machine, the combination a reciprocating feedingmember, ef stationary spaced guides forming channels into which thefruit from the feeding member is carried, a conveyer for delivering thefruit in given order from the mo f` feed member to the stationaryguides, yieldable receiving devices, the arms f which are disposedadjacent to the ends of the stationary guides, and rotary cuttersarranged in coperative sets operating in the fermed between thestationary guides and the receiving devices.

5. )in a fruit handling machine, the combination with a reciprocatingfeeding member, of stationary spaced guides forming channels into whichthe fruit from the feeding member is carried, a conveyer for deliveringthe fruit in given order from the moving feed member to the stationaryguides, yieldahle reiving devices, the arms of Y livering the stationaryranged in coperative sets. operating in the channels formed between, thestationary guides and the receiving devices, and stationary'th'roatplates arranged 1n sets to form throats below the cutter sets throughwhichppits from the fruit are precipitated, said throat plates formingdiverting walls for the fruit sections.

6. In a fruithandling machine, the combination with a reciprocatingfeeding member, of stationary spaced guides forming channels into whichthe fruit from the feeding member is carried, a conveyer-for dethe fruitin given order from the moving guides, ieldable receiving devices, thearms of whic are disposed adjacent to the/ends of the stationary guides,rotary cutters arranged in lcoperative sets operating in the channelsformed between the stationary guides and the receiving devices,stationary throat plates arranged in sets to form throats below thecutter sets through which pits from the fruit are precipitated, saidthroat plates forming diverting walls for the fruit sections, andmovable ejectors adapted to operate in the throats formed by the throatplates to dislodge such sections of the fruit as may momentarily chokein the throat plates.

7 In a fruitv handling machine, a reciprocating inclined feeder withzigzag parallel channels, resilient supporting and thrust members forthe feeder, means for actuating the feeder, and an adjustable inclineddevice forming channelsA in continuation of the feeder channels.

8. 'ln a fruit handling machine, a reciprocating inclined feederwithzigzag parallel channels, resilient supporting and thrust membersfor the feeder, means for actuating thefeeder, an adjustable inclineddevice forming channels in 'continuationv of the feeder channels, tentlyconveying fruit from the reciprocating feeder to the device.

9. A fruit slicing mechanism including a pain of cooperative cutters,and inclined rigid plates with forward and rearward edges bearingon'opposite sides of the cutters and having combined apertures largeenough for a fruit pit to pass through, but

- too small for the cut fruit.

l0. A fruit slicing mechanism including a device for diverting the fruitsections and segregating the pits, said device comprising immovableplates with straight edges and converging at an angle and having theproximate edges slotted to form when combined a throat, said platesacting wedge -fashion upon a sliced fruit to separate the hich aredisposed adjacent to the ends of sections, the pit passing through thecofeed member to the stationary,

land means for intermit ordinate apertures, and rotary cutters and meansmovable upon the lower surfaces 'a ainst which the adjacent edges ofsaid ofthe plates for clearing the plates of lodged plates bear on oposite sides. fruitsubstance.

11` A fruit icing mechanism includin In testimonyl whereof I havehereunto set 15 V5 a device for diverting the fruit sections ang my handin the presence of two subscribing segregating the pits, said devlicecon rising wltnesses. plates converging at an ang e an aving theproximate edges provided with aper- ARTHUR L' MORTON' tures, said platesacting wedgefashion upon Witnesses:v lo a sliced fruit to separate thesections, the pit FRANCIS JACKSON,

A passing through the cordinate apertures, EDWARD F. JOHNSON.

